Mr. Obama;
I am currently a man without a party, having got sick and tired of the willful stupidity of the Libertarian Party and holding both the Democratic and Republican parties in thorough contempt. I was relieved to see your rhetoric holding that there were limits to what government could do and your promises to fight the excesses of the current executive office holder and restore constitutional separation of powers.
I told friends and neighbors, most of whom disagreed strongly with me, that this year there was indeed a lesser evil for a change among the big two parties, and that you were he.
I was wrong.
Today you voted to give George W. Bush unlimited wiretap powers to spy on the communications of all Americans without warrant- without even suspicion. You voted to essentially take the FISA court, already a rubber stamp for executive power, out of the process entirely. Worst of all, you voted to grant immunity to telecom corporations for aiding George W. Bush in spying on Americans before this authority was given to him by Congress- aiding and abetting, in other words, in the commission of a felony.
By this vote, you have demonstrated the following:
* Large wealthy corporations are not subject to the same laws that the common people are, and thus may do things with impunity that would lead to imprisonment for the rest of us.
* You believe in unlimited executive power, and oppose executive accountability for crimes committed and admitted.
* Your word, previously given to not merely oppose but filibuster this measure, is worthless, and you cannot be trusted any more than the rest of your corrupt and cowardly party.
It is possible, indeed probable, that I will vote for you in November, despite this. The danger of a new war with Iran and a permanent occupation of Iraq are too important to allow Republicans to retain the White House, under any circumstances. I have little faith in Bob Barr and no faith in the party that nominated him, and I cannot stomach the theocratic views of the Constitution Party or the communist views of the Green Party.
But with this vote to gut the Fourth Amendment you have forfeited my active support. I have contributed only a tiny amount, to be sure... but you will not get another dime from me. Nor will you get my support as a volunteer or campaigner.
Henceforth, Mr. Obama, I am done with you, unless in the months that come you either admit that today's vote was an error on your part and apologize to the American people, or else you call for the criminal prosecution of those in the telecom corporations who cooperated with George W. Bush... and call, in turn, for either Bush's impeachment while in office or his criminal prosecution once he leaves office. Only by one or the other of these things- and preferably both- will you give me any reason to believe that you can be trusted to match your campaign rhetoric with your action in office.
In the meantime, Mr. Obama, I intend to treat you as I do most members of both the Democratic and Republican parties- as a generic politician who will say and do anything for the sake of advancing personal ambition.
Until you rethink your decision to sacrifice your principles for the sake of a "compromise" that gained you nothing, I bid you good day and goodbye.
Kris Overstreet
former Obama supporter
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1 comment:
OK...my only question is, rather than listening to the Pundits and the Media, did you read what Obama wrote in his blog about this? It makes me understand his reasoning a little more, and it's not a deal breaker in my support for him, not as much as it would be for, say, a Civil libertarian such as yourself. Here's what Obama said on his blog
(http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/rospars/gGxsZF/commentary):
I want to take this opportunity to speak directly to those of you who oppose my decision to support the FISA compromise.
This was not an easy call for me. I know that the FISA bill that passed the House is far from perfect. I wouldn't have drafted the legislation like this, and it does not resolve all of the concerns that we have about President Bush's abuse of executive power. It grants retroactive immunity to telecommunications companies that may have violated the law by cooperating with the Bush Administration's program of warrantless wiretapping. This potentially weakens the deterrent effect of the law and removes an important tool for the American people to demand accountability for past abuses. That's why I support striking Title II from the bill, and will work with Chris Dodd, Jeff Bingaman and others in an effort to remove this provision in the Senate.
But I also believe that the compromise bill is far better than the Protect America Act that I voted against last year. The exclusivity provision makes it clear to any President or telecommunications company that no law supersedes the authority of the FISA court. In a dangerous world, government must have the authority to collect the intelligence we need to protect the American people. But in a free society, that authority cannot be unlimited. As I've said many times, an independent monitor must watch the watchers to prevent abuses and to protect the civil liberties of the American people. This compromise law assures that the FISA court has that responsibility
The Inspectors General report also provides a real mechanism for accountability and should not be discounted. It will allow a close look at past misconduct without hurdles that would exist in federal court because of classification issues. The (PDF)recent investigation uncovering the illegal politicization of Justice Department hiring sets a strong example of the accountability that can come from a tough and thorough IG report.
The ability to monitor and track individuals who want to attack the United States is a vital counter-terrorism tool, and I'm persuaded that it is necessary to keep the American people safe -- particularly since certain electronic surveillance orders will begin to expire later this summer. Given the choice between voting for an improved yet imperfect bill, and losing important surveillance tools, I've chosen to support the current compromise. I do so with the firm intention -- once I’m sworn in as President -- to have my Attorney General conduct a comprehensive review of all our surveillance programs, and to make further recommendations on any steps needed to preserve civil liberties and to prevent executive branch abuse in the future.
Now, I understand why some of you feel differently about the current bill, and I'm happy to take my lumps on this side and elsewhere. For the truth is that your organizing, your activism and your passion is an important reason why this bill is better than previous versions. No tool has been more important in focusing peoples' attention on the abuses of executive power in this Administration than the active and sustained engagement of American citizens. That holds true -- not just on wiretapping, but on a range of issues where Washington has let the American people down.
I learned long ago, when working as an organizer on the South Side of Chicago, that when citizens join their voices together, they can hold their leaders accountable. I'm not exempt from that. I'm certainly not perfect, and expect to be held accountable too. I cannot promise to agree with you on every issue. But I do promise to listen to your concerns, take them seriously, and seek to earn your ongoing support to change the country. That is why we have built the largest grassroots campaign in the history of presidential politics, and that is the kind of White House that I intend to run as President of the United States -- a White House that takes the Constitution seriously, conducts the peoples' business out in the open, welcomes and listens to dissenting views, and asks you to play your part in shaping our country’s destiny.
Democracy cannot exist without strong differences. And going forward, some of you may decide that my FISA position is a deal breaker. That's ok. But I think it is worth pointing out that our agreement on the vast majority of issues that matter outweighs the differences we may have. After all, the choice in this election could not be clearer. Whether it is the economy, foreign policy, or the Supreme Court, my opponent has embraced the failed course of the last eight years, while I want to take this country in a new direction. Make no mistake: if John McCain is elected, the fundamental direction of this country that we love will not change. But if we come together, we have an historic opportunity to chart a new course, a better course.
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